Issue link: https://docs.hic.us/i/403552
What Makes Caps So Problematic? You Are Putting A Flat Logo On A Curved Surface Embroidered logos are designed to be flat, while caps are designed to be curved. As a result, the sewing process tries to flatten out the curvature, so you end up forcing the cap to be flat in the sewing area, which can distort the logo. Horizontal Curve Of The Crown Doesn't Mate To Curve Of Frame. This is a significant problem. The cap frame is designed to hold and support the cap in its natural shape during the sewing process. If the two don't match up, it's a recipe for disaster. The Crown Has Vertical Curvature While The Frame Does Not. Don't confuse this with the horizontal curvature. Most popular cap crowns today, curve back and away from the bill. Yet, most cap frames don't accommodate this characteristic, which leads to cap distortion from the minute it's hooped. (270 degree cap frames are an exception) Center Seams Cause Abrupt Fabric Depth Change. It isn't necessarily the thickness of the seam that causes problems; rather it's the abrupt change in thickness. If you watch closely, you will see that most thread and/or needle breaks occur at the edge of the seam rather than the middle. Low Profile Caps May Be Distorted By The Machine Arm. Due to the reduced crown height on low profile caps, there is less room to accommodate the protrusion of the machine arm (where the bobbin resides). As a result, the end of the arm "pushes" on the top inside area of the cap, which distorts the cap and leads to quality problems. Cap Solutions There are two basic rules for cap embroidery, that if applied correctly, will eliminate about 90% of all cap problems. The Design Must Fit The Cap The single leading cause of cap problems is trying to sew a design that is too large for the given cap. Caps are not created equally and some can handle larger designs than others. In general, limit your design size to 2.0" H X 4.5"W, and you should be able to sew on just about any style of cap. In actuality, you can go larger for some caps, but if you make it a standard practice to work with tighter parameters, you will be better off in the long run. Also, having the customer focus on the smaller size helps get an order started on the right foot. It's much easier to increase the size for a larger cap, than to decrease it for a smaller cap. TIP – Use a standard business card as a reference for maximum (cap) logo dimensions. www.hsi.us care@hic.us 203